


D'Nebian Flu

by respoftw



Series: Tumblr Prompts - McShep edition [18]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Getting Together, Illnesses, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-18 00:09:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9352691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: "This is ridiculous," Rodney protested for the dozenth time.  "I feel fine."Carson ignored him, stripping his t-shirt off, hooking him up to an IV and pushing him back on the infirmary bed.  "Give it time, lad," he promised.  "Another twenty minutes and you'll be losing whatever the Daedalus served for lunch.





	

The universe hated him.

There was really no other explanation.

Rodney had suffered through four days of meetings at SGC, four _long_ days of listening to the same half a dozen questions phrased in slightly different ways. It had all boiled down to money in the end. Having to justify his expenditure on the things he needed to, _oh that's right_ , save two galaxies was not his idea of a good time.

Despite insisting that he use the 'gate to come and answer their idiotic questions, the IOA refused to authorise a wormhole back to Pegasus. The Daedalus was slow and boring and no one on the ship was interesting enough to entertain him. Then Caldwell threatened to lock him in the brig for the last sixteen days of their journey if he didn't stop trying to 'improve' the ship.

Seriously. The universe hated him.

As if all of that wasn't bad enough, Atlantis was now refusing to allow him to beam back into the city.

"What do you mean 'we have to wait here'? I was only gone three weeks, what the hell have you done to my city?" Rodney pushed his way in front of the comm unit, shouldering Caldwell out of frame. "Sheppard," he narrowed his eyes at the picture on the screen. "I should have known you'd be involved. What did you touch?"

John Sheppard, Rodney thought, must have mastered the wide-eyed 'who, me?' look at a young age. It certainly seemed to work on almost everyone (in two galaxies) but Rodney prided himself on being immune.

"Cut the crap, Sheppard. Tell me what's going on or I'll come down there and find out for myself."

John rolled his eyes and Rodney saw the tell-tale signs of him ramping up to 'handle' the hysterical native and he'd had enough.

"That's it," he snapped, "I'm coming down." He reached over and pressed the button to beam himself down to the 'gate room, ignoring John's yell not to.

He materialised in the 'gate room to be faced with an exasperated looking John.

"Jesus, Rodney," John shook his head, "just remember that you brought this on yourself." He activated his radio and turned his head slightly. "Carson, you've got an incoming."

Rodney quickly pressed his own radio into his ear and tuned to the infirmary line.

"-loody hell, Colonel," Carson was cursing, "they were all supposed to wait on the Daedalus until I'd had a chance to inoculate them"

"Yeah, well, try telling Rodney that."

"Bloody stubborn idiot."

Rodney startled as John pulled him by the arm and started to drag him off to the infirmary. "Did Carson say inoculation?"

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Rodney protested for the dozenth time. "I feel fine."

Carson ignored him, stripping his t-shirt off, hooking him up to an IV and pushing him back on the infirmary bed. "Give it time, lad," he promised. "Another twenty minutes and you'll be losing whatever the Daedalus served for lunch."

"Meat loaf and mashed potatoes," Rodney offered. "Not enough salt."

"Aye, well, maybe they'll taste better coming back up."

Exactly twenty-three minutes later, Rodney could say with certainty that they didn't.

* * *

"Hey doc, how's our patient?"

Rodney groaned loudly as John's voice penetrated his skull like a drill.

"The headache seems to be coming on nicely," Carson sounded far too chipper and Rodney tried to set him on fire with just the power of his mind. He might have succeeded if just breathing didn't hurt so much.

"Any purple spots yet?"

"Oh, aye. They're coming up nicely."

 _Purple spots?!_ Rodney tried to open his eyes to peek at his skin but the effort was blocked by the stabbing pain that even a fraction of light in his eyes caused. He settled for whimpering instead.

"Everyone else on the Daedalus sorted?" John's voice sounded again, closer now.

"Dr. Biro just finished with the last of them. The inoculation seems to be working just fine. You hear that, Rodney? If you had waited an hour then you would be right as rain."

"Ease up on him," John said. "I didn't exactly explain the situation, I should have known that he wouldn't take the order as read."

Rodney knew that it was all John's fault. He'd make sure to tell him that. Later. When he could form a coherent sentence.

"Is that you volunteering then?" Carson sounded amused.

John's loud sigh expelled enough air that it felt like sandpaper on his skin.

"I'm taking one for the team," John joked. "Come on, Rodney. Budge up."

Rodney wasn't sure what was happening. First, John was telling him to budge up (as if he had enough energy to move) and then, a cool, heavy weight was settling on the bed next to him. Was John getting in bed with him? Now? Rodney had dreamt this moment a hundred times but he'd never been quite so rank with his own sweat in his fantasies. Or in so much pain.

John's (he thought it was John, anyway) arms tightened around him and Rodney started to keen, in anticipation of the pain that anyone touching him would bring. The keen transformed into a gasp of relief as the ache started to fade from his limbs. He made a greedy noise and pulled John closer, trying to get as much of John's skin (holy shit, was he naked? No, Rodney could feel the cotton of boxer briefs against his leg) against his own. This was so much better. All of the pain and nausea started to subside. He could even feel his mind getting clearer.

After fifteen minutes of cuddling, Rodney felt well enough to open his eyes a crack.

"Feeling better?" John's green eyes were smirking at him.

"Whuh?"

John stretched his arm out and reached for something on the nearby table. Rodney winced as some level of pain came back at the slight loss of skin contact but John was quick. He offered an ice chip to Rodney who took it in his mouth gratefully, sighing happily as it melted, wetting his dry, aching throat.

"So," John drawled, "as I was trying to say earlier. We had an outbreak of D'Nebian flu in the city while you were gone. Lorne's team brought it back from P3X-5Y9."

"Sounds...Star Trek." Rodney was still having trouble forcing words out but John seemed to understand what he was trying to say.

"I didn't name it," he chuckled. "That's how it's known in Pegasus. Teyla and Ronon both call it that."

Another stretch of John's arm was followed by another ice chip.

"Everyone in the city with the gene came down with it eventually."

"You?" Rodney's eyes widened.

"Yeah." John made a face. "So I definitely know how you're feeling."

All things considered. Rodney was feeling surprisingly OK right now. He just wasn't sure why.

John must have seen the question in his eyes. "Yeah," he sighed, "don't ask me to explain why and I honestly thought Teyla and Ronon were having a laugh when they told us, but contact with someone who has recently recovered from the virus is the only effective treatment. It only works after the purple spots start to appear."

Rodney wanted to call bullshit but, really, the evidence was right in front of him and it was pretty damn compelling.

"Carson's worked it out that eight hours of contact is optimal," John cleared his throat. "So, get comfortable."

Eight hours of forced cuddling with John? Maybe the universe wasn't out to get him after all.

 

* * *

Rodney dozed for a while, feeling noticeably better when he woke up.

John smirked at him. "When I said 'get comfortable', this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

Rodney realised he was hard and suddenly, the debilitating pain didn't sound so bad. He groaned and tried to shift, to move away from John.

"Hey. McKay, quit it!" John held on tightly. "It's fine. It's fine, Rodney. In case you hadn't noticed, you're not the only one that 'got comfortable'.

Rodney froze. Jesus Christ, John was hard too. Rodney didn't know what to read into that. He was a guy, he knew that sometimes a stiff breeze was all it took to...

"Is now a good time to ask you out on a date?" John interrupted his train of thought.

"What?" At least Rodney could form words now, even if they weren't particularly inspired ones.

"You and me. On a date. Once you've recovered, of course."

Rodney nodded, not trusting his voice not to squeak.

John smiled, tightening his hold. "Cool. You should get some more sleep. Another three hours to go."

Rodney let his eyes close for a moment before snapping them open again.

"Who helped you through it?" he asked, suddenly needing to know who had spent eight hours snuggling up to Lt. Colonel Sex On Legs.

John flushed beetroot. "Let's just say that Lorne and I may be a little uncomfortable around each other for a while."

Rodney laughed so hard that he dislodged his IV.

"Enough hilarity," Carson spoke sternly at them. "Or should I get someone else in here to finish Rodney's treatment."

Rodney tightened his hold on John, gratified when he felt John do the same to him.

Carson saw the movement and beamed down at them both. "Who knew all it would take was D'Nebian Flu," he chuckled. "I'll break the news to the betting pool."

Rodney groaned.

It was confirmed.

The universe hated him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Original prompt from darkhorse99:  
> D'nebian flu is going around and the only cure is close contact with someone who just got over it...because of reasons..
> 
> As always, you can find me on [Tumblr](http://buffycuddlespigs.tumblr.com)


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